‘Feminist book club’ reads for Teens

Posted on 8 January 2016

This week Emma Watson tweeted her intention to start a ‘feminist book club’ to the universal approval of her followers, fans and friends. After talking through various names the book club has now been called ‘Our Shared Shelf’ – and Emma posted the first book choice yesterday (My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem).

Emma’s brilliant idea certainly got us debating the books we thought should be included, so we thought we’d share some of our favourite feminist book club reads for teens with you. Have a look at our (in no particular order) list below for a mix of books with great female leads, about feminist history and of course, that come from brilliant female authors.

What would you add to our teen book club list? Tweet us at @ScholasticUK with your ideas.

Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Patricia McCormick and Malala Yousafzai

This book is proof of the power that just one teenager can have when standing up for what is right. Malala gives her story in her own words – sharing the value we must place on education, the important of equality and showing what real bravery truly is.

My Story: Suffragette by Carol Drinkwater

It’s 1909. Dollie Baxter is swept up in the thrill of the campaign for Votes for Women – marching against Parliament with Emmeline Pankhurst and her fellow suffragettes. But as the movement turns violent, Dollie must decide how far she will go for ‘deeds, not words’.

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Set in a dystopian future, heroine Katniss Everdeen is a great female role model. The embodiment of ‘girl power’, she faces near-impossible challenges but keeps fighting for herself, her family and her friends.

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

A beautiful and hauntingly sad book written by thirteen year old Anne Frank in Amsterdam, 1942 after her family was forced into hiding in the attic of a warehouse following the Nazis occupation.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Jane Austen wrote in a time where a women’s place was to marry and raise a family yet all of her novels feature some of the strongest female characters in literature. Pride and Prejudice’s heroine Elizabeth Bennet is not afraid to speak her mind and follow her own path.

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier

Sisters at war. Sisters in arms. Sisters to the end. A book about being a sister, and guaranteed to make you smile, from the queen of cartoon strips.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

A classic and powerful story of hope, courage and sisterhood, that follows the five March sisters growing up in America during the Civil War.

His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman

A young girl, Lyra, goes on an epic quest between two worlds. Witch-queens, armoured bears, evil scientists, spirit animals and epic battles – this book has it all. And have a look at the Sally Lockhart Mystery: The Ruby in the Smoke – also by Philip Pullman.

Codename Céline by Jim Eldridge

The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was formed in July 1940 – its mission: send agents into occupied Europe to conduct covert operations against Allied enemies. Many of these agents were women and girls and this book follows Céline, a teenager determined to help the war effort.

Geek Girl Special: All Wrapped Up by Holly Smale

‘My name is Harriet Manners, and I am a geek’ – Harriet follows her own path and this Geek Girl Special sees the return of our favourite model and geek.

To read more about and join ‘Our Shared Shelf’ go to Good Reads